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Nature and Science June 2017
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Call of Nature : The Secret Life of Dung
by Richard Jones
Journey through the digestive systems of humans, farm and wild animals, and meet some of nature's ultimate recyclers as they eat, breed in and compete for dung. The fall of bodily waste onto the ground is the start of a race against the clock as a multitude of dung-feeders and scavengers consume this rich food source. From the enigmatic dung-rolling beetles to bat guano and giant elephant droppings, dung creates a miniature ecosystem to be explored by the aspiring dung watcher.
The author completes the book with an identification guide to dung itself, so that you can identify the animal that left it behind. Pellets or pats? Scats, spraints, frass, guano, spoor - learn your way around different species' droppings. There's also a dung-feeder's identification guide that includes the species you're most likely to encounter on an exploration of the dung heap.
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| Miracle Cure: The Creation of Antibiotics and the Birth of Modern Medicine by William RosenHow would you cure an infection? Bloodletting? Blistering plasters? Mercury? All of these (and more) were standard practice before antibiotics came on the scene. Beginning with the germ theory of Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch, this eye-opening book traces the scientific breakthroughs that contributed to the development of penicillin -- a game-changer that revolutionized medicine (while generating huge profits for pharmaceutical companies.) Miracle Cure also gives us a glimpse into the future: antibiotic-resistant bacteria and few, if any, treatment options. |
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In the Shadow of the Moon : The Science, Magic, and Mystery of Solar Eclipses
by Anthony Aveni
Since the first humans looked up and saw the sun swallowed by darkness, our species has been captivated by solar eclipses. Astronomer and anthropologist Anthony Aveni explains the history and culture surrounding solar eclipses, from prehistoric Stonehenge to Babylonian creation myths, to a confirmation of Einstein's theory of general relativity, to a spectacle that left New Yorkers in the moon's shadow, to future eclipses that will capture human imaginations. In one accessible and engaging read, Aveni explains the science behind the phenomenon, tracks eclipses across the ancient world, and examines the roles of solar eclipses in modern times to reveal the profound effects these cosmic events have had on human history. Colored by his own experiences--Aveni has witnessed eight total solar eclipses in his lifetime--his account of astronomy's most storied phenomenon will enthrall anyone who has looked up at the sky with wonder.
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| Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson"America's most approachable astrophysicist" (Kirkus Reviews) offers readers a concise and conversational introduction to cosmology. In 12 engaging chapters, Neil deGrasse Tyson explains, in straightforward and mostly jargon-free prose, the composition of the universe and the laws that govern it. Covering topics ranging from the Big Bang to general relativity to dark matter, he also describes what we don't yet know about the universe. While some science background is always useful when confronting astrophysics, it's not essential to enjoy this book. |
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Darwin's First Theory: Exploring Darwin's Quest to Find a Theory of the Earth
by Rob Wesson
Everybody knows—or thinks they know—Charles Darwin, the father of evolution and the man who altered the way we view our place in the world. But what most people do not know is that Darwin was on board the HMS Beagle as a geologist—on a mission to examine the land, not flora and fauna.
Retracing Darwin’s footsteps in South America and beyond, geologist Rob Wesson treks across the Andes, cruises waters charted by the Beagle, hunts for fossils in Uruguay and Argentina, and explores sites of long vanished glaciers in Scotland and Wales. As he follows Darwin’s path—literally and intellectually—Wesson experiences the land as Darwin did, engages with his observations, and tackles the same questions Darwin had about our ever-changing Earth.
Upon his return from his five-year journey aboard the Beagle, after examining the effects of earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and more, Darwin conceived his theory of subsidence and uplift‚—his first theory. These concepts and attitudes—the vastness of time; the enormous cumulative impact of almost imperceptibly slow chan≥ change as a constant feature of the environment—underlie Darwin’s subsequent discoveries in evolution. And this peculiar way of thinking remains vitally important today as we enter the human-dominated Anthropocene age.
Expertly interweaving science and adventure, Darwin’s First Theory is a riveting and revelatory journey around the world with one of the greatest scientific minds in history.
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| Anatomies: A Cultural History of the Human Body by Hugh Aldersey-WilliamsIs the human body a territory to be mapped? A machine to be maintained? A canvas to be decorated? No matter what metaphor one prefers, it's clear that the body is more than the sum of its parts and that anatomy is just one lens through which we view ourselves. As he did in Periodic Tales, science writer Hugh Aldersey-Williams draws as much from art and history as he does from science and medicine in this engaging head-to-toe examination of the human body. |
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| The Wild Life of Our Bodies: Predators, Parasites, and Partners that Shape Who We... by Rob DunnIn this accessible look at evolutionary ecology, biologist Rob Dunn argues that human evolution is intimately connected to that of other species and the environment. Positing that the presence of venomous snakes may have led to enhanced color vision in primates, and that ticks and lice might have played a role in rendering humans nearly hairless, Dunn examines how our species' interactions with the natural world influenced our genetic code. However, there's a downside: as human survival becomes easier, human susceptibility to disease increases. |
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| The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health, and Disease by Daniel E. LiebermanYou'd think that after six million years of evolution, humans would be less vulnerable to disease. However, as biologist Daniel Lieberman explains, we didn't evolve for optimal health, but rather to produce viable offspring in challenging environments. What's more, cultural evolution creates mismatches between the bodies we inherited from our ancestors and the environments we create and transform for ourselves and our descendants. This thought-provoking book uses our evolutionary history to examine the challenges we currently face in staying alive. |
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| We Have the Technology: How Biohackers, Foodies, Physicians, and Scientists Are... by Kara PlatoniAnnoyed by the limitations of the human body? You're not alone. As science writer Kara Platoni demonstrates, there's a growing community of "citizen scientists" whose members are pushing the boundaries of human perception -- often by experimenting on themselves. Understanding what these "biohackers" are doing requires knowledge of both sensory science and metasensory perception (how we experience time, pain, or memories) and Platoni provides readers with an overview of the science while introducing them to the eccentric individuals bent on upgrading our basic hardware. |
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Adventures in human being : a grand tour from the cranium to the calcaneum
by Gavin Francis
We assume we know our bodies intimately, but for many of us they remain uncharted territory, an enigma of bone and muscle, neurons and synapses. How many of us understand the way seizures affect the brain, how the heart is connected to well-being, or the why the foot holds the key to our humanity? In Adventures in Human Being, award-winning author Gavin Francis leads readers on a journey into the hidden pathways of the human body, offering a guide to its inner workings and a celebration of its marvels.
Drawing on his experiences as a surgeon, ER specialist, and family physician, Francis blends stories from the clinic with episodes from medical history, philosophy, and literature to describe the body in sickness and in health, in life and in death. When assessing a young woman with paralysis of the face, Francis reflects on the age-old difficulty artists have had in capturing human expression. A veteran of the war in Iraq suffers a shoulder injury that Homer first described three millennia ago in the Iliad. And when a gardener pricks her finger on a dirty rose thorn, her case of bacterial blood poisoning brings to mind the comatose sleeping beauties in the fairy tales we learn as children.
At its heart, Adventures in Human Being is a meditation on what it means to be human. Poetic, eloquent, and profoundly perceptive, this book will transform the way you view your body.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Carrollton Public Library 1700 Keller Springs Road, Carrollton Texas 75006 4220 North Josey Lane, Carrollton Texas 75010 |
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